Category Archives: BJJ class

A week ago on a rainy day, I sprained my ankle on my way to work. I should have gone home because I almost broke my other foot that same day. X-rays and CT scans later, I have a few small longitudinal lesions on my tendons which is disabling my ability to bend my toes. I decided to tough it out last Friday and head with R to the gym to start training again.

I think I lasted all of 10 minutes into the warm up when I jammed my toes horribly and had to get a bag of ice to calm down the re-aggravated injury. Needless to say, I didn’t start training that day. I stayed to watch the class but it made me even more frustrated knowing that it’s difficult for me to learn without actually putting my body through the paces. Class was attacking from the turtle position and the resulting clock choke. R promised to drill this with me at home when the foot starts to behave itself.

Saturday was a local BJJ tournament hosted by our gym. R spent the day refereeing on one of the mats and I brought the pup along to watch the competitions. It was exciting to see old friends and teammates compete and do extremely well on the mats! It just made me realize how much I seem to have fallen behind in my own training.

So.

I have just under one month to get back into it and hopefully register for my very first tournament! I would have been officially training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for eight months at that point and want to get used to that ‘OhmygodI’msonervousIneedtothrowup’ feeling. I’m told you don’t really get used to it per-say. It’s more that your body is accustomed to the adrenaline and doesn’t think it’s nausea. Superb.

I’ve read a few recent articles about why guys should roll with girls and vice versa, and would love to hear your input! I’m putting together a brief FAQ, and thoughts from a girl’s perspective that would probably be appreciated by other BJJ practitioners. All answers will remain anonymous.

What burning questions did you ever want to ask your female/male teammates before you rolled with them without the awkwardness of another 7th grade pre-pubescent school dance?

Just ordered a brand new gi! After waiting for our gym’s current supplier of Red Star Gi’s forever, I went ahead and ordered a Fenom Lotus Gi – White as an early birthday present for myself! Reading some of the reviews online, its positive feedback combined with its great price seem to be a worthwhile purchase.

My current Red Star – A1 isn’t a great fit, but then again I’m not shaped like a guy. I’m 5’4″, 136lbs and my measurements are: 34″, 28″, 36″. I’m your typical curvier female. The first time I washed my Red Star Gi, I lost about 2.5 inches off the pants and now they’re more like ‘gi capris’ as we like to call them at my gym. The kimono jacket fits perfectly, but now they both go through the washer/dryer on a regular basis.

At first I didn’t think I would be going to train as often. But, washing a heavy-weight cotton gi EVERY day was getting really tedious. I wanted at least one other gi that was lighter for the upcoming summer training season. My current gi weighs close to 3.5 lbs, which is 3.5 lbs I could save cutting weight. I’d like to eventually settle in just under 130lbs with my gi on.

Why I chose the Fenom Lotus Gi: I had heard great things about the differences between female-specific gis and the traditional sized gis. I was looking for something comfortable, that would fit well and wouldn’t fall off or rip apart when I trained hard.

I just honestly couldn’t stomach butterflies, flowers and hot pink gis. Who said that being female and training just as hard as the boys that you can’t blend in? The Fenom gis have a simple logo without being too obviously feminine. With a gothic script ‘F’ embroidered on the shoulders and pant leg, it’s simple design is what really appealed to me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure there are plenty of 16-year-old girls just dying to wear the newest Kyra Gracie gi. I just don’t wear pink.

There was something special about the Lotus gi that really appealed to me. I’ve got a large lotus flower on my back that was inked a few years ago. I have a bit of an emotional attachement to lotus flowers.

Delivery should be within 2-3 weeks, and I’m looking forward to giving the complete review with photos!